The people of Damascus, who held him in great honor, gave
him a splendid funeral and an estimated 200,000 men and 15,000 women attended
his funeral. He was buried at the Sufi cemetery in Damascus5 where his mother
was buried.
Ibn Taimiyah's Writings
In spite of all the turbulence in his life, as discussed
earlier, Ibn Taimiyah was able to write many books and pamphlets on all branches
of Islamic knowledge. His pupil; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyah, compiled a list of the
works of Ibn Taimiyah which contains 350 works. Here are some of them:
A: Qur'anic Studies and Tafsir:
1. al-Tabyan fi nuzul al-Qur'an.
2. Tafsir surat al-Nur.
3. Tafsir al-Mu'awidhatain (chapter 113 and 114).
4. Tafsir Surat al-Ikhlas (chapter 112)
5. Muqaddimah fi 'Usul al-Tafsir.
B: Fiqh (Islamic Law):
1. Majmu'at al-Fatawa al-Kubra. 5 volumes.
2. Majmu' Fatawa Ibn Taimiyah. 37 volumes.
3. al-Qawa'id al-Nuraniyah al-Fiqhiyah.
4. Kitab Manasik al-Hajj.
5. Risalah fi al-'Uqud al-Muharramah.
6. Kitab al-Farq al-Mubin baina al-Talaq wal-Yamin.
7. Kitab fi 'Usul al-Fiqh.
8. Risalah fi Raf al-Hanafi Yadaihi fi al-Salah.
9. Risalah fi Sujud al-Sahwu.
10. Mas'alat al-Half bil-Talaq.
C: Tasawwuf (Sufism):
1. al-Furqan baina Awliya' al-Rahman wa-Awliya' al-
Shaitan.
2. Amrad al-Qulub wa-Shifa'uha.
3. al-Tuhfah al-'Iraqiyah fi A'mal al-Qulub.
4. al-'Ubudiyah.
5. al-Risalah al-Tadmuriyah.
6. Darajat al-Yaqin.
7. Bughyat al-Murtad (al-sab'iniyah).
8. Ibtal Wahdat al-Wujud.
9. al-Tawassul wal-Wasilah.
10. Risalah fi al-Sama' Wal-Raqs.
11. al-'Ibadat al-Shar'iyah.
D: 'Usul al-Din and 'Ilm al-Kalam:
1. Risalah fi 'Usul al-Din.
2. Risalah fi al-Ihtijaj bil-Qadar.
3. Jawab Ahl al-'Ilm wal-Iman.
4. al-Iklil fi al-Mutashabih wal-Ta'wil.
5. al-Risalah al-Madaniyah.
6. Minhaj al-Sunnah al-Nabawiyah fi Naqd Kalam al-Shi'ah
al-Qadariyah.
7. al-Muntaqa min Akhbar al-Mustafa.
8. Sharh al-'Aqidah al-Asfahaniyah.
9. Ma'arij al-Wusul ila Ma'rifat anna Usula al-Din
wa-Futu'ahu qadd bayyanaha al-Rasul.
10. Aqwamu ma qila fi al-Mashi'ati wal-Hikinati
wal-Qada'i wal-Qadari wal-Ta'lili wa-Butlani al-Jabri wal- Ta'til.
11. Risalah fi al-Qada'i wal-Qadar.
12. Kitab al-Iman.
13. al-Furqan baina al-Haqqi wal-Batil.
14. al-Wasiyah al-Kubra.
15. Naqd Ta'sis al-Taqdis.
16. al-Radd 'ala al-Nusairiyah.
E: Al-Radd 'ala As-hab al-Milal: (Responding to
other religion's followers):
1. al-Jawab al-Sahih li-man Baddala Dina al-Masih.
2. al-Radd 'ala al-Nasara.
3. Takhjil Ahl al-Injil.
4. al-Risalah al-Qubrusiyah.
5. Iqtida' al-Sirat al-Mustaqim Mukhalafat As-hab
al-Jahim.
F: Al-Mantiq wal-Falsafah: (Logic and
Philosophy):
1. al-Radd 'ala al-Mantiqiyyin.
2. al-Risalah al-Safadiyah.
3. Naqd al-Mantiq.
4. al-Risalah al-'Arshiyah.
G: Al-Akhlaq wal-Siyasah wal-Ijtima': (Manners,
Administration and Sociology)
1. al-Hasanah wal-Sayyi'ah.
2. al-Wasiyah al-Jami'ah li-Khair al-Dunia
wal-Akhirah.
3. Sharh Hadith "Innama al-A'malu
bin-Niyyat".
4. al-Siyasah al-Shar'iyah fi Islah al-Ra'i
wal-Ra'iyah.
5. al-Hisbah fi al-Islam.
6. al-Mazalim al-Mushtarakah.
7. al-Shatranj.
H: Hadith:
1. Ahadith al-Qussas
The Reason this Creed was Written
Ibn Taimiyah said:
"A Shafi'ite judge from Wasit (in Iraq) whose name
is Radiy ad-Din al-Wasiti, visited me on his way to Hajj (pilgrimage). This
Sheikh was a man of goodness and faith. He complained to me of the people's
situation in that country (i.e., Iraq ) under the Tatars (Mongols) rule of
ignorance, injustice, and loss of faith and knowledge.
He asked me to write him an 'Aqidah (creed) as a
reference to him and his family. But I declined saying: Many creeds have been
written. Refer to the scholars of the Sunnah. However, he persisted in his
request, saying: I do not want any creed but one you write. So I wrote this one
for him while I was sitting one afternoon.
Many copies of it are dispersed throughout Egypt, Iraq
and other provinces. (Majmu' Fatawa Ibn Taimiyah, VIII, p.164)
Notes
1-Ibn Batutah - Rihiah,
vol.1,p.110,fn.1.
2- See page 21 of this book.
3-Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, Vol.7, Part 14,
pp.91-92
4-Ibn Kathir, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, vol.7,
part 14, p.56.
5- For description of Ibn Taimiyah's
funeral see Ibn Kathir; pp.141-145.
The Text of Al-'Aqidah Al-Wasitiyah
Introduction
In the name of Allah the Compassionate, the Merciful1 The
praise belongs to Allah2 Who sent His Messenger3 with guidance and the religion
of truth (i.e., Islam) making it incumbent on all religions. Allah is the best
of witnesses4, and I testify that there is no god but Allah alone and that He
has no partner5; I admit and believe in the oneness of Allah. And I testify that
Muhammad is His servant and Messenger6; May Allah greatly bless him, his family,
and his companions.
This is the belief of the saved group7, the victorious
ones to the Day of Judgment, the people of the Sunnah and the Jama'ah8 (i.e.,
The belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the resurrection
after death, the belief in Divine Decree (qadar), be it good or bad)9.
Part of the belief in Allah is the belief in how He has
described Himself in His Book (the Qur'an) and in how His Messenger Muhammad
(peace be upon him) has described Him. Believe without distorting or denying and
without questioning or shaping; Rather, believe in Allah, The Exalted:
"There is none like Him; He is the All-Hearer, the
All-Seer." (ash-Shura 42/11)
Do not deny Him the way He has described Himself; Do not
change words from their context; Do not disbelieve the names of Allah and His
Signs; Do not exemplify His Attributes with the attributes of His creatures
because Allah, The Exalted, has no likeness: There is none comparable to Him;
There is none equal to Him; The Exalted, the Supreme, is not measured by His
creatures; Indeed, He best knows Himself and others; He is All-Truthful; and His
Speech prevails over the speech of His creatures.
Moreover, His messengers are truthful and thus speak the
truth. This is opposite to those who speak about Him what they themselves know
not. About this, The Exalted, The Supreme has said:
"Glorified be your lord, the Lord of Majesty, from
that which (the unbelievers) attribute (unto Him). And peace be upon the
messengers. And praise be to Allah the Lord the Universe." (as Saffat
37/180-182).
He glorified Himself with what the opponents of the
messengers said of Him; And He greeted the messengers because what they said was
free from defect.
He (the Glory is His) combined what He described Himself
as between negation and affirmation10. Consequently, the people of the Sunnah
and Jama'ah must not deviate from what the messengers brought forth; verily, it
is the right path, the path of those upon whom Allah bestowed His grace, the
path of the prophets, saints, martyrs, and righteous people.
Allah's Names and Attributes in the Qur'an
The following is included in this idea of how Allah
describes Himself in Surat al-Ikhlas, (chapter 112) which equals a third of the
Qur'an11, where He says:
"Say He is Allah The One, Allah The Eternal. He
never begot, nor was begotten. There is none comparable to Him."
And He described Himself in the greatest Ayah (verse) in
His Book (i.e., Ayat al-Kursi):
"Allah, there is no god save Him, The Living, The
Eternal. Neither slumber nor sleep overtake Him. Unto Him belongs whatsoever is
in the heavens and the earth. Who is he who intercedes with Him except by His
permission? He knows that which is before them and that which is behind them,
while they encompass nothing of His Knowledge except what He wills. His seat
(kursi) contains the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving
them. He is The Sublime, The Great." (al-Baqarah 2/255)
Therefore, Allah protects whoever reads this Ayah at
night and no devil can get close to him until morning. Allah has also said:
"Depend on The Living One, He Who will never
die." (al-Furqan 25/58).
And He, the Glorified, has said:
"He is The First (al-Awwal) and The Last (al-Akhir),
The Outward (as-Zahir) and The Inward (al-Batin)12; He is The Knower of All
Things." (al-Hadid 57/3)
Knowledge:
"He knows that which goes down into the earth and that which
comes out from it, and that which descends from the heavens and that which
ascends into it. He is The Merciful, The Forgiving." (Saba' 34/2)
"With Him are the keys of the unknown (mafatih
al-ghaib), none but He knows them. He knows what is in the land and the sea; not
a leaf falls but He knows it; not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, naught
of wet or dry but (it is recorded) in a clear record." (al-An'am 6/59)
He has said:
"No female conceives or gives birth except with His
Knowledge." (Fatir 35/11)
And He has said:
"That you may know that Allah is able to do all
things, and that Allah knows all things." (at-Talaq 65/12)
Might:
And He has said:
"Indeed, Allah is the One Who gives livelihood, The
Lord of Unbreakable Might." (adh-Dhariyaat 51/58)
Hearing, Seeing:
And He has said:
"Nothing is like Him; and He is The Hearer, The
Seer." (ash-Shura 42/11)
And He has said:
"Lo! Comely is this which Allah admonishes you to
be. Lo! Allah is ever Hearer, Seer." (an-Nissa' 4/58)
Will:
And He has said:
"If only, when you entered your garden, you had
said: That which Allah wills is; There is no strength save in Allah."
(al-Kahf 18/39)
And He has said:
"If Allah had so willed it, those who followed after
them would not have fought one with the other after clear proofs had come unto
them. But they differed, some of them believing and some disbelieving. And if
Allah had so willed it, they would not have fought one with the other; But Allah
does what He wills." (al-Baqarah 2/253)
And He has said:
"The beast of cattle is made lawful unto you [for
food], except that which is announced unto you [herein], hunting being unlawful
when you are on pilgrimage; Indeed, Allah ordains that which He wills."
(al-Ma'idah 5/1)
And He has said:
"Of whomsoever it is Allah's will to guide, his
heart He expands into Islam; And of whomsoever it is His will to send astray,
his heart He made closed and narrow as if he were engaged in sheer ascent."
(al-An'am 6/125)
Love:
He has said:
"And do good; Indeed, Allah loves those who do
good." (al-Baqarah 2/195)
And He has said:
"Act equitably; Indeed, Allah loves the
equitable." (al-Hujurat 49/9)
And He has said:
"So long as they are true to you, be true to them;
Indeed, Allah loves those who keep their duty." (at-Tawbah 9/7)
And He has said:
"Truly, Allah loves those who repent, and loves
those who care for cleanliness." (al-Baqarah 2/222)
And He has said:
"Say, [O Muhammad, to mankind]: If you love Allah,
follow me; Allah will love you." (Al'Imran 3/31)
And He has said:
"Allah will redeem a people whom He loves, and who
love Him." (al-Ma'idah 5/54)
And He has said:
"Indeed, Allah loves those who fight in ranks for
His cause, as if they were a solid structure." (as-Saff 61/4)
And He has said:
"He is The Forgiving, The Loving." (al-Buruj
85/14)
Mercy:
And His saying:
"In the name of Allah, The Beneficent, The
Merciful."
He has said:
"Our Lord! You comprehended all things in mercy and
Knowledge." (al-Mu'min 40/7)
And He has said:
"He is Merciful to the believers." (al-Ahzab
33/43)
And He has said:
"My Mercy has embraced all things." (al-A'raf
7/156)
And He has said:
"Your Lord has prescribed for Himself Mercy."
(al-An'am 6/54)
And He has said:
"He is The Forgiving, The Merciful." (Yunus
10/107)
And He has said:
"Allah is better [than any one] at guarding, and He
is The Most Merciful of those who show mercy." (Yusuf 12/64)
Pleasure and
Anger:
He has said:
"Allah takes pleasure in them and they in Him."
(al-Ma'idah 5/119)
And He has said:
"Whoever slays a believer intentionally, his reward
is Hell for ever. Allah's wrath is against him and He has cursed him."
(an-Nissa' 4/93)
And He has said:
"That will come to be because they followed that
which angered Allah, and shunned that which pleases Him." (Muhammad
47/28)
And He has said:
"When they angered Us, We punished them."
(az-Zakhruf 43/55)
And He has said:
"But Allah was adverse to their being sent forth and
held them back." (at-Tawbah 9/46)
And He has said:
"It is most hateful in the Sight of Allah that you
say that which you do not." (as-Saff 61/3)
Coming:
He has said:
"Will they wait until Allah comes to them in
canopies of clouds, with the angels? Then the case will have been already
judged." (al-Baqarah 2/210)
And He has said:
"Are they waiting to see if the angels come to them?
Or your Lord [Himself]? Or some of the Signs of your Lord? That Day Signs of
your Lord will come." (al-An'am 6/158)
And He has said:
"Nay! When the earth is pounded to powder, then your
Lord will come and the angels will come rank upon rank." (al-Fajr
89/21-22)
And He has said:
"A day will come when the heaven and the clouds will
be rent asunder and the angels will be sent down in a grand descent."
(al-Furqan 25/25)
Face and Hand:
He has said:
"Only the Face of your Lord of Might and Glory will
remain." (ar-Rahman 55/27)
And He has said:
"Everything will perish save His Face."
(al-Qasas 28/88)
And He has said:
"What kept you (Iblis) from falling prostrate before
that which I have created with My Hands." (Sad 38/75)
And He has said:
"The Jews said: Allah's Hand is tied.' May their
hands be tied and may they be accursed for the [blasphemy] they utter. Rather,
both His Hands are widely outstretched; He gives and spends as He pleases."
(al-Ma'idah 5/64)
Eyes:
He has said:
"Wait patiently for the Command of your Lord, [O
Muhammad], for verily you are in Our Eyes." (at-Tur 52/48)
And He has said:
"We carried him [Nuh] on an [ark] made of planks and
nails; It floats under Our Eyes, as a reward for him who was rejected."
(al-Qamar 54/13-14)
And He said:
"I have maintained you [Musa] with My Love that you
might be reared under My Eye." (Ta Ha 20/39)
Hearing:
He has said:
"Allah has indeed heard her who argued with you [O
Muhammad] concerning her husband, and who complained unto Allah; Allah hears the
argument between both of you; Indeed, Allah is Hearer,Seer." (al-Mujadalah
58/1)
And He has said:
"Verily, Allah heard the saying of those [the Jews]
who said: Allah is poor and we are rich." (Al'Imran 3/181)
And He has said:
"Do they think that We do not hear their secrets and
their private counsels? Indeed [We do], and Our Messengers are by them to record
all." (az-Zakhruf 43/80)
Seeing and
Hearing:
He has said:
"Indeed, I will be with you [Musa and Harun],
Hearing and Seeing." (Ta Ha 20/46)
And He has said:
"Is he then unaware that Allah sees?" (al-'Alaq
96/14)
And He has said:
"Who Sees you when you stand up [to pray]? And
[sees] your movements among those who fall prostrate [in worship]? Indeed, He,
and only He, is The Hearer, The Knower." (ash-Shu'ara' 26/218-220)
And He has said:
"Say [unto them]: Act! Allah will see your actions,
and [so will] His Messenger and the Believers." (at-Tawbah 9/105)
Power of Planning:
He has said:
"He is, in His Power, Supreme." (ar-Ra'd
13/13)
And He has said:
"They [the unbelievers] plotted and planned, and
Allah planned too; Allah is The Best of Planners." (Al-'Imran 3/54)
And He has said:
"So they devised a plot: and We devised a plot while
they perceived not." (an-Naml 27/50)
And He has said:
"Indeed, they devise a plot [against you O Muhammad]
and I devise a plot [against them]." (at-Tariq 86/15-16)
Forgiveness:
He has said:
"If you do good openly or conceal it, or if you
forgive evil, indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Powerful." (an-Nissa'
4/149)
And He has said:
"Let them forgive and disregard [the transgressions
of others]. Do you not wish that Allah forgive you? Allah is Forgiving,
Merciful." (an-Nur 24/22)
Might:
He has said:
"And the might belongs to Allah and to His
Messenger." (al-Munafiqun 63/8)
And He has said about Iblis (the Satan):
"[Iblis] said: Then by Your might, I will lead all
of them astray'." (Sad 38/82)
And He has said:
"Blessed be the Name of your Lord, Full of Majesty,
and Honor." (ar-Rahman 55/78)
Oneness:
He has said:
"Therefore, worship you Him and be you steadfast in
His Service; Do you know of anyone who can be named along with Him?"
(Maryam 19/65)
And He has said:
"There is none comparable to Him." (al-Ikhlas
112/4)
And He has said:
"Do not set up rivals to Allah when you know [The
Truth]." (al-Baqarah 2/22)
And he has said:
"Yet there are some people who take (idols as]
rivals to Allah, loving them with a love like (that which is the due) of Allah
(only), but those who believe overflow in their love of Allah." (al-Baqarah
2/165)
And He has said:
"Say: Praise be to Allah, Who begets no son, Who has
no partner in [His] dominion and Who [needs] none to protect Him from
humiliation;' And Magnify Him with all magnificence." (al-Isra' 17/111)
And He has said:
"All that is in the heavens and all that is on the
earth glorifies Allah; To Him belongs Dominion; To Him belongs Praise; He is
Able to do all things." (at-Taghabun 64/1)
And He has said:
"Blessed is He Who sent down the Criterion
[al-Furqan] to His Servant [Muhammad], that He may warn all creatures. He to
Whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth, no son has He begotten;
Nor has He any partner in His Dominion. It is He Who created all things and
ordered them in due proportions." (al-Furqan 25/1-2)
And He has said:
"Allah did not beget a son; Nor is there any god
along with Him; Otherwise each god would have taken away what he had created and
some of them would have lorded over others. May Allah, Be Glorified above all
that they allege. He knows what is hidden and what is exposed. May He Be Exalted
over all that they ascribe as partners [to Him]." (al-Mu'minun
23/91-92)
And He has said:
"Do not invent similitudes for Allah; Indeed, Allah
knows and you know not." (an-Nahl 16/74)
And He has said:
"Say: My Lord forbids only indecencies whether open
or secret, sin and wrongful oppression. You're associating with Allah that for
which no Revelation has been given, and you're saying things about Allah of
which you have no knowledge." (al-A'raf 7/33)
Arising Over the
Thronee (Al-Istiwa' A'la
Al-'Arsh):
He has said:
"The Beneficent One, Who arose over the Throne
(al-Arsh)." and "Then He arose over the Throne."
Allah repeated this theme six times in the Qur'an.
He has said:
"Verily! Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens
and the earth in six days; Then He arose over the Throne." (al-A'raf 7/54)
And He has said:
"Verily! Your Lord is Allah Who created the heavens
and the earth in six days; Then He Established Himself on the Throne."
(Yunus 10/3)
And He has said:
"Allah is He Who raised the heavens without any
pillars that you can see; Then He arose over the Throne." (ar-Ra'd 13/2)
And He has said:
"The Beneficent One, Who is Established on the
Throne." (Ta Ha 20/5)
And He has said:
"Then He arose over the Throne, The Beneficent
One." (al-Furqan 25/59)
And He has said:
"Allah created the heavens, the earth and all that
is between them in six days; Then He arose over the Throne." (as-Sajdah
32/4)
And He said:
"He it is Who created the heavens and earth in six
days; Then He arose over the Throne."13 (al-Hadid 57/4)
Highness:
And He has said:
"Behold! Allah has said; 'Oh Jesus! I am taking you
and raising you up to Me." (Al'Imran 3/55)
And He has said:
"Rather, Allah raised him up to Him."
(An-Nissa' 4/158)
And He has said:
"To Him good words ascend, and He elevates the pious
deed."14 (Fatir 35/10)
And He has said:
"O Haman! Build me a tower, that I may reach the
roads, - the roads of heavens, and that I may climb up to the God of Moses,
though verily I think he [Moses] is a liar." (Ghafir 40/36-37)
And He has said:
"Do you feel secure that He Who is in Heaven will
not cause you to be swallowed up by the earth when it shakes? Or do you feel
secure that He Who is in Heaven will not send against you a wind casting down
pebbles from the sky? That is that you may know the manner of My Warning."
(al-Mulk 67/16-17)
And He has said:
"He created the heavens and the earth in six days;
Then He arose over the Throne. He knows all that enters the earth and all that
emerges there from and all that comes down from the sky and all that ascends
therein; He is with you wherever you may be. And Allah is Seer of what you
do." (al-Hadid 57/4)
Omnipresence:
And He has said:
"There is no secret conference of three but He is
their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, nor of less or more but He is
with them wherever they be: And afterward, on the Day of Resurrection, He will
inform them of what they did. Indeed, Allah is Knower of All Things."
(al-Mujadalah 58/7)
And He has said addressing Abu Bakr in the cave during
the Hijrah:
"Grieve not. Indeed, Allah is with us."
(at-Tawbah 9/40)
And He has said:
"Indeed, I will be with you, Hearing and
Seeing." (Ta Ha 20/46)
And He has said:
"Indeed, Allah is with those who protect themselves
and with those who do good." (an-Nahl 16/128)
And He has said:
"Be patient and persevering, for Allah is with those
who patiently persevere.15 (al-Anfal 8/46)
And He has said:
"How often a small company overcame a big one by
Allah's Help! Allah is with those who steadfastly persevere." (al-Baqarah
2/249)
Speech:
He has said:
"Whose words (Hadith) can be truer than
Allah's?" (an-Nissa' 4/87)
And He has said:
"Whose utterance (Qil) can be truer than
Allah's?" (an-Nissa' 4/122)
And He has said:
"When Allah said (qala): O Jesus, son of Mary"
(al-Ma'idah 5/116)
And He has said:
"Perfected is the Word (kalimatu) of your Lord in
Truth and Justice." (al-An'am 6/115)
And He has said:
"To Moses Allah spoke (kallama) directly."
(an-Nissa' 4/164)
And He has said:
"And of whom (messengers) there are some unto whom
Allah spoke (kallama)." (al-Baqarah 2/253)
And He has said:
"When Moses came to Our appointed place, and his
Lord spoke (kallama) unto him." (al-A'raf 7/143)
And He has said addressing Musa:
"We called him (nadainahu) from the right side of
[Mount] at-Tur and made him draw near to Us for communion." (Maryam
19/52)
And He has said:
" When your Lord called (nada) Moses: Go unto the
wrong-doing folk'." (ash-Shu'ara' 26/10)
And He has said:
"And their Lord called both of them (nadahuma) [Adam
and Hawwa']: Did not forbid you That Tree, and tell you (wa-aqul): Lo! Satan is
an open enemy to you?" (al-A'raf 7/22)
And He said:
"On The Day He will call unto them (yunadihim) and
say: Where are My partners who you fabricated?" (al-Qasas 28/62)
And He has said:
"On The Day He will call unto them (yunadihim) and
say: What answer gave you to the messengers?" (al-Qasas 28/65)
And He has said:
"If anyone of the pagans seeks your protection,
grant it to him so that he may hear the Words (kalam) of Allah." (at-Tawbah
9/6)
And He has said;
"A party of them used to listen to the Words (kalam)
of Allah, then used to distort it knowingly after they understood it."
(al-Baqarah 2/75)
And He has said :
"They wish to change God's Words (kalam); Say: You
shall not follow us.' Thus Allah said (qala) before hand." (al-Fath
48/15)
And He has said:
"Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book of
your Lord; None can change His Words (kalimatihi)." (al-Kahf 18/27)
And He has said:
"Verily this Qur'an narrates (yaqussu) unto the
Children of Israel most of the matters which they dispute." (an-Naml
27/76)
And He has said:
"This is a Blessed Book (kitabun mubarakun) which We
have sent down." (al-An'am 6/92)
And He has said:
"Had We send down this Qur'an on to a mountain,
verily you would have seen it humbled and rent asunder for fear of Allah."
(al-Hashr 59/21)
And He has said:
"When We substitute one Verse (Ayah) for another and
Allah knows best what He reveals-they say: You are but a fabricator; But most of
them know not. Say: The Trustworthy Spirit (i.e., Gabriel) has brought it (The
Qur'an) from your Lord in Truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and
as Guidance and Good Tidings for Muslims. We know well that they say: It is a
man who teaches him; The language of him they falsely point to is notably
foreign, while this is Arabic, pure and clear." (an-Nahl 16/101-103)
Looking at Allah:
He has said:
"Some faces, That Day, will beam (in brightness and
beauty), looking toward their Lord." (al-Qiyamah 75/22-23)
And He has said:
"(Relaxing) on couches looking (at their
Lord)." (al-Mutaffifin 83/35)
See Tafsir Ibn Kathir, for support of my translation of
this verse. (The Translator)
And He has said:
"For those who do good, is the best (reward given)
and more* (thereto). (Yunus 10/26)
And He has said:
"There they have all they desire; And there is still
more with Us." (Qaf 50/35)
And the Qur'an is full of Verses which deal with this
topic; Whoever studies the Qur'an carefully searching for guidance from it, the
truthful path will be clear to him.
*According to
some interpretations: "They See Allah's face."
Allah's Names and Attributes in
the Sunnah
The Sunnah16 of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) interprets the Qur'an and clarifies it, and leads to it, and expresses its
meaning. We must accept and believe in the sound Ahadith in which the Messenger
(peace be upon him) described his Lord, The Almighty, The Exalted,17 such as the
hadith:
"Our Lord
descends during the last third of each night to the lower heaven, and
says: 'Is there anyone who calls on Me that I may respond to him? Is there
anyone who asks Me that I may give unto him? Is there anyone who requests My
Forgiveness that I may forgive him?"' (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
And the hadith:
"Indeed, Allah is
happier with the repentance of his 'abd (worshipper) than any one of
you is with finding his lost riding camel." (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari
and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"Allah laughs
about two men who kill each other but both enter paradise18."
(Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"Allah marvels
about the despair of His creatures ('ibad), while the changing of their
situation from bad to good is very near, He looks at you, and you are very
desperate, so He keeps laughing, because He knows that your relief is very
close." (Its isnad is good; reported by AhmadIbn Hanbal and others)
And the hadith:
"(On the Day of Judgment) when a group of
unbelievers is thrown into Hell, Hell asks for more until the Lord Almighty places His Foot (over it); then it folds up saying:
Enough, enough'." (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"Allah The Exalted,
says: 'Adam!' And Adam answers: 'Here I am, at Your service!' Then a
voice calls: 'Verily! Allah orders you to send a delegate from your offspring to
Hell'." (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"Allah will talk to each
person directly without a mediator between them." (Agreed upon it
by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on
curing the ill:
"Our Lord Allah Who is in heaven, may Your name be
sanctified, Your law is in heaven and on earth; As Your Mercy is in heaven so
make Your Mercy on earth. Forgive our faults and our sins. You are the Lord of
the good people, bestow some of Your Mercy, and some of Your Cure on this pain
that the sick may be cured." (This hadith has good isnad, reported by Abu
Dawud and others)
And the hadith:
"Do you not trust me, while I have the trust of Him
Who is in Heaven?" (Sound hadith;
reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"The Throne is above the
water, and Allah is on the Throne; He knows what you are up to."
(Good hadith, reported by Abu Dawud and others.)
And the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to the
maid:
"Where is Allah?"
And she answering: "In the heaven." And he saying: "Who
am I?" And she saying: "You are the Messenger of Allah." And he
saying "Free her; She is a believer." (Muslim)
And the hadith:
"When any one of you stands up for prayer, you must
not spit in front of you nor to your right, because
Allah is in front to you; But you may spit to your left, or under your
foot." (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the hadith:
"My Lord! The Lord of the Seven Heavens, and The
Lord of the great Throne, our Lord and The Lord of all, The Creator of plants
and trees, The Revealer of the Tawrah (Old Testament), the Injil (New Testament)
and the Qur'an: I seek refuge in You from the evil of myself and from the evil
of all creatures; You are The First; Nothing is
before You. You are The Last; Nothing is after You. You are the Outward; Nothing
is over You. You are the Inward; Nothing is inside of You. Help me to pay my
debt and keep poverty from me." (Muslim)
And the saying (of the Prophet, peace be upon him), when
his companions raised up their voices in invocation (Dhikr):
"O people, restrain yourselves. Indeed, you are not
calling One Who is deaf or absent; Rather, you are
calling a Hearer, One very close by; The One Who you are calling is closer to
each one of you, closer even than the neck of your riding animal."
(Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And the saying (of the Prophet, peace be upon him):
"You will see your Lord
as you see the full moon; Nothing will impair your view of Him; And if
you are able to keep the dawn prayers and the mid afternoon prayers, do
it." (Agreed upon it by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
And many more of these ahadith in which the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) relates of his Lord whatever he relates.
The Saved Group (al-firqah
an-najiyah), The people of the Sunnah and the Community believe these
things, as they believe what Allah revealed in His Precious Book (i.e.,
the Qur'an); (They believe) without distorting or
denying and without asking how (takyif) or shaping (tamthil); Rather,
they comprise the center of the groups of the Ummah (the Muslim nation), as the
Ummah comprises the center of all nations.
With regard to the Attributes of Allah, The Glorified,
The Exalted, they comprise the center between the denying Jahmiyah19 and the
people who shape and create likenesses (ahl at-tamthil al-mushabbihah); And they
comprise the center between the Qadariyah20 and the Jabriyah21 with regard to
[the acts of Allah the Exalted], and between the Murji'ah22 and the Wa'idiyah23
of the Qadariyah and others without regard to [Allah's threat], and between the
Haruriyah24 and the Mu'tazilah25 and between the Murji'ah and the Jahmiyah with
regard to [the names of faith and religion], and between the Rawafid26 and the
Khawarij27 with regard to the (Prophet's Companions).
Allah is Above
Everything
What we mentioned of belief in Allah
included belief in what Allah has revealed in His Book (the Qur'an), and what
has been continuously reported from His Messenger (peace be upon him), and what
the early generation of the Ummah unanimously agreed upon: That Allah, The
Glorified, is above His heavens on His Throne, exalted above His creatures, and
that He, The Glorified, is with them wherever they be and knows whatever they
do. He summed it up in His saying:
"He is the One Who created the heavens and the earth
in six days; Then He arose over the Throne. He knows what goes into the earth
and what comes out of it and what descends from heavens and what ascends into
it; He is with you wherever you are; Allah sees all what you do." (al-Hadid
57/4)
His saying "He is with you" does not mean that
He is commingled with the creatures: The language does not indicate this and it
is against what the early generation of the Ummah agreed upon, and contrary to
Allah's creation of all things; For example, the moon is one of Allah's Signs to
be found amongst the smallest of his creatures; It is placed in the skies where
it is at the same time with both the traveler and the non-traveller, wherever
they are; and He, The Glorified, is on the Throne, watching over His creatures,
ruling over them; This is, as well as other Signs of His Lordship.
All that Allah The Glorified mentioned-that He is on the
Throne (al-'Arsh) and that He is with us-true in itself does not warrant
distortion but should be protected from false conjectures, such as thinking that
the apparent meaning of His saying "In Heavens" means that heavens
contain Him. This is invalid according to the consensus of all the people of
knowledge and faith.
"Indeed, His Seat (Kursi) encompasses heavens and
earth, and it is He Who holds heavens and earth so they do not perish and He Who
holds heaven so that it not fall on earth except by His Permission. "It is
among His Signs that heaven and earth stand fast by His Order." (ar-Rum
30/25)
The Closeness of Allah to His
'Ibad
Included in this is the belief that He is
very close to His creatures, responding, as He has summed it up in His
saying:
"If My 'ibad (worshipers) ask you about Me; (say
that) I am very close, answering the caller when he calls on Me."
(al-Baqarah 2/186)
And the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to his
Companions when they raised their voices in invocation of Allah:
"O people! Restrain yourselves. Verily, you are not
calling One Who is deaf or absent, the One you call is nearer to each of you
than is the neck of your riding animal."
What has been revealed in the Book (i.e.,the Qur'an) and
in the Sunnah - of His Closeness and His Concomitance - does not contradict what
has been told of His Exaltation and Highness. Indeed, Glory be to Him, there is
none like Him in all His Attributes, and He is High in His Nearness and Near in
His Highness.
The Qur'an is the Word of
Allah
Part of the belief in Allah and His
Books28 is the belief that the Qur'an is Allah's Word revealed, not created29,
that in Him it originated and unto Him it returns, that Allah truly uttered it,
that this Qur'an which He revealed to Muhammad (peace be upon him) is truly the
Word of Allah not the word of any other, that it is not allowable to say it is a
narrative of the Word of Allah or an interpretation of it. That if the people
read it or write it in books does not mean it is not the true Word of Allah, The
Exalted, because speech is attributed to the one who spoke it initially, not to
the one who narrated it. It is the Word of Allah, its letters and its meaning.
The Word of Allah is not the words only, without meaning, and not the meaning
only, without words.
Seeing Allah on the Day of
Judgment
What we referred to of belief in Him,
in His Books, and in His Messengers includes also belief that those who believe
will see Him with their eyes, just as they see the sun on a day free of clouds;
Just as they see the full moon without obstacle, they will see Him, The
Glorified, while they are in the Courts of Judgment; And they will see Him after
entering Paradise. This is as Allah, The Glorified, The Exalted, wills.
Belief in the Hereafter
The Trial of the Grave and
Resurrection
The belief in the Last Day is a
belief in all that the Prophet (peace be upon him) told of what will happen
after death, belief in the grave trial, in the grave punishment and in the grave
delight.
As for the trial, people will be tried in their graves30
Every one will be asked: "Who is your God? What is your religion? Who is
your Prophet?" Allah will affirm the believers with the true words in this
life and in the Hereafter, so the believers will say: Allah is my Lord, Islam is
my religion, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) is my Prophet."
But the doubtful will say: "What? What? I don't
know. I heard the people say something, so I said it." Thence will he be
beaten with an iron bar until he sends out a loud scream which all but human
beings will hear, because if they would hear it, they would faint.
This trial will be followed either by delight or
punishment, until the Big Resurrection (al-Qiyamah al-Kubra) will take place.
The souls will be returned to their bodies and the Resurrection, which Allah has
told of in His Book (the Qur'an) and through His Prophet, and about which all
Muslims agree, will occur. The people, naked, barefoot, uncircumcised31, will
rise from their graves to face The Lord of The Universe, while the sun moves
nearer to them and their own sweat overwhelms them. Then the scales will be set
so that people's deeds may be weighed.
"Those whose scales are heavy (with good deeds) will
be successful and those whose scales are light (lacking sufficient good deeds),
will lose their souls eternally to Hell." (al-Mu'minun 23/102-103)
The Records of the People's
Deeds
The records will be distributed-the
records of deeds. Some will receive theirs in their right hands, and some in
their left or behind their backs32.
For The Glorified, The Exalted, has said:
"Every person is held responsible for his [or her]
deeds. On the Day of Resurrection We shall bring out for him a scroll which he
will see spread open. (He will be ordered): Read your own record; It is
sufficient that you judge yourself today." (al-Isra' 17/13-14)
Allah will remind the people of their deeds, talk
privately to His faithful 'abd (worshipper) and remind him of all his faults. So
it has been described in the Book (the Qur'an) and in the Sunnah.
As for non-believers, they will not be reminded in the
manner of the one whose good deeds and bad deeds are balanced, because they will
have no good deeds. Rather their (evil) deeds will be counted, verified and
presented so that they admit to them, and will be punished for them.
Al-Hawd (The Prophet's
Pool)
In the Court of Judgment is the Prophet's
Pool (Hawd) with its water whiter than milk and sweeter than honey, its drinking
vessels as numerous as the stars, and its length a (travel for) a month and its
width a (travel for) a month. Whoever drinks from it will never thirst.
As-Sirat (The Bridge Over
Hell)
The Sirat is stretched over Hell. It is
the bridge between Paradise and Hell. People cross it in accordance with their
deeds. Some cross as quickly as the eye winks; Some cross as if a flash of
lightening; Some cross as if wind; Some cross as a noble horse would; Some cross
as a camel rider might; Some cross it running, some walking; Some cross it
crawling; And some are snatched and thrown into Hell. The bridge has hooks to
snatch the people according to their deeds. Whoever passes over it enters
Paradise. If they cross the Sirat, they will be halted over a bridge between
Paradise and Hell to settle accounts between themselves; If they are cleared and
purified, they are permitted to enter Paradise.
Ash-Shafa'ah (The Prophets
Intercession)
The first to knock at the gate of
Paradise will be Muhammad (peace be upon him); And the first Ummah to enter
Paradise will be his Ummah.
And he (Muhammad) (peace be upon him) has three
intercessions to perform on the Day of Resurrection:
His first intercession will be on behalf of the people
still held for judgment, after all Prophets, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and
Jesus, the son of Mary, have passed over intercession and it reaches him
(Muhammad).
His second intercession will be on behalf of the people
of Paradise in order that they may enter it. These two intercessions are unique
to him.
His third intercession is to be on behalf of those who
warrant Fire. This intercession is for him (Muhammad), for all prophets and
saints and for others, so that they may intercede on behalf of those who deserve
Fire, preventing them from entering it, and on behalf of those who have entered
into the Fire, taking them from it. Allah, The Exalted, out of His Generosity
and Mercy, sends some people out from the Fire without intercession. Space will
be left unfilled in Paradise, so Allah will create more people for it, and bring
them into it.
The Hereafter includes judgment, reward, punishment,
Paradise and Hell. These are mentioned in detail in the Revealed Books from
heavens, in the tradition of the prophets, and in the inherited knowledge from
Muhammad (peace be upon him) what is sufficient and satisfactory (in this
regard), and whoever wishes to seek it can find it.
Al-Qadar (Divine
Decree)
The Saved Group-the people of the Sunnah
and of the Community- believe in Qadar (Divine Decree) whether good or bad.
Belief that fate has two parts, each part includes two things: The first part is
belief that Allah ,The Exalted, knows what the creatures will do in accordance
with His Ancient Knowledge, which He described as being of Eternity; He has
known all their states of obedience and disobedience, all their sustenance and
their life span.
Allah wrote in al-Lawh al-Mahfuz (the Preserved Tablet)
the fate of creatures:
"The first thing He created is the pen (al-qalam),
He said to it: 'Write'. It said: 'What shall I write?' He said: 'Write what will
take place until the Day of Judgment.' Whatever is to strike a human being will
never miss him, and whatever is to miss him will never strike him. The pens had
been dried and the scrolls had been folded as Allah, The Glorified, The Exalted,
said: "Did you not know that Allah knows (all) what in heaven and earth?
Verily, all put down in a record. Indeed, that is very easy of Allah."
(al-Hajj 22/70)
And He said:
"No disaster befalls earth but it is in a record
before We created it. Indeed, it is easy of Allah." (al-Hadid 57/22)
This predestination which belongs to His Knowledge-may He
be Glorified-is in some places summarized and in others detailed. He has written
in the Pre- served Tablet whatever He has willed: When He creates the body of
the fetus and before blowing the soul into it, He sends an angel to it and
orders him to write four words, his livelihood, his life span, his deeds, and if
he is happy or miserable and so forth. This kind of predestination was rejected
by extremist Qadariyah of the past. But these days very few reject it.
The second step is the executed Will of Allah and His
Inclusive Ability. The belief in that whatever Allah wills, will come to pass
and whatever He does not will, will never occur, that whatever motion or silence
is in heaven or earth is by the will of Allah, The Glorified. Nothing takes
place in His dominion except what He wills, and He, The Glorified, The Exalted,
is capable of all that exists and all that does not exist.
There is no creature on earth or in heaven except Allah
The Glorified, is his Creator. There is no creator beside Him and there is no
Lord other than Him.
With all that, He ordered the creatures to obey Him and
His messengers, and He forbade them to disobey Him.
He, The Glorified, loves the pious, the doers of good and
the just. He is pleased with those who believe and do good deeds; He does not
like unbelievers; He is displeased with transgressors; He does not ordain
immorality; He does not wish disbelief for His creatures; And He does not like
corruption.
Creatures are the performers in reality, but Allah is the
Creator of their deeds; The 'abd (human being) is the believer and the
unbeliever, the righteous and the wicked, the praying and the fasting; The 'ibad
(human beings) have power over their actions and they have their own will; But
Allah is their Creator and the Creator of their power and their will, as He, The
Exalted, has said:
"To whomever of you wills it, follow the Straight
Path. You have no will unless Allah ,The Lord of the Universe, so wills."
(at-Takwir 81/28-29)
This degree of predestination is rejected by most of the
Qadariyah - those whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) called the Fire
Worshipers (Majus) of this Ummah (Islam). Others who affirm this Attribute of
Allah exaggerate it to the extent of stripping the human being of his power and
his choice, taking the wisdom and advantage from Allah's acts and rules.
Iman (Faith)
Among the fundamentals of the people of the Sunnah is that
religion and faith are utterance and action - the utterance of the heart and the
tongue and the action of the heart, the tongue and the limbs - and that faith
increases with obedience and decreases with disobedience.
In spite of this, Ahl al-Qiblah (Muslims) are not to be
considered unbelievers as a result of their committing faults and sins (Ma'asi
and Kaba'ir) as the khawarij consider them. Rather, brotherhood in faith remains
firm despite faults, just as Allah, The Exalted, has said in the punishment
Verse:
"If the heir of a murdered person forgives his
brother (in faith)33, it is preferred that he follow his forgiveness with
leniency (in collecting the blood-money"34 (al-Baqarah 2/178)
And He has said:
"If two groups of believers fight each other, try to
make peace between them. However, if one of them attacks the other (and refuses
to make peace), fight the attackers until they return to the Ordinance of Allah;
Then, if they return, make peace between them justly, and act equitably. Indeed,
Allah loves the equitable. Believers are indeed brothers, therefore make peace
between your brothers." (al-Hujurat 49/9)
The people of the Sunnah do not completely strip the
Muslim transgressor from the faith. And they do not believe that he will stay in
Hell forever as the Mu'tazilah claim. Rather (they believe that) the
transgressor enters under the name of the faith just as Allah has said:
"And liberate a slave who is a
believer."(an-Nissa' 4/92).
He may not enter under the name of absolute faith as
Allah, The Exalted, has said:
"Indeed, the believers are those whose hearts, when
Allah is mentioned (in their presence), fill with piety, and whose faith, when
His Words are recited to them, increases." (al-Anfal 8/2).
As the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"The adulterer is stripped of faith while committing
adultery, the thief is stripped of faith while stealing, the drinker is stripped
of faith while he is drinking and anybody who puts a show of greatness to
attract the people's eyes is stripped of faith." (al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
And it is said: He is a believer with incomplete faith;
Or he is a believer by his faith and transgressor by his sin. So he is not given
absolutely the name (of faith), nor is he stripped completely of the name.
The Prophet's Family, The Prophet's Wives and the
Companions of the Prophet
As-Sahabah (The Prophets
Companions)
Among the fundamentals of the people
of the Sunnah and the community is purity of heart and tongue toward the
Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) just as Allah has
described them:
"Those who came after them (the Sahabah) say: 'Our
Lord forgive us. Forgive our brethren who preceded us in faith. Purify our
hearts of any rancor toward the believers. Our Lord, You are Gentle,
Compassionate." (al-Hashr 59/l0)
Obey the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him):
"Do not revile my companions. By (Allah) in Whose
Hand my soul is!, if any one of you spends gold (piled up) like (mount) 'Uhud it
will not equal a pint of any one of them, nor its half." (al-Bukhari,
Muslim, Abu-Dawud, at-Tirmidhi Ibn Majah, Ibn Hanbal)
(The people of the Sunnah) accept what the Qur'an, the
Sunnah, and the consensus brought them of the Sahabah's virtues and high ranks;
So they prefer those who spent (their wealth) and fought before the victory
-which is the treaty of al-Hudaybiyah*35 - over those who spent and fought after
it. They prefer the Muhajirun (Immigrants) over the Ansar (Helpers). They
believe that Allah said to the people of Badr - they were over three hundred-:
"Do whatever you wish, I have already forgiven you." (Abu Dawud)
And "they believe that no one who pledged allegiance
to the Prophet (peace be upon him) under the tree36 will enter Hell"
(Muslim), as the Prophet (peace be upon him) had declared; but that Allah was
pleased with them and they with Him - and they were more than one thousand and
four hundred.
They assign to Paradise whoever the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) assigned there such as the ten**, and Thabit Ibn Qays Ibn
Shammas, and others of amongst the Sahabah.
They accept what has been reported continuously from the
Prince of the Believers, 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), and
from others, that the best men of this 'Ummah after its Prophet are: Abu Bakr;
then 'Umar; third, 'Uthman, and fourth, 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased
with them all). All Traditions have indicated, and all Sahabah (may Allah be
pleased with them all) have agreed upon giving priority to 'Uthman out of regard
for his allegiance (al-Bai'ah), although some of the people of the Sunnah are
disputing over whether 'Uthman or 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with both of them)
has the priority, after they (the people of the Sunnah) had agreed upon giving
priority to Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Some people gave the priority to 'Uthman and
kept silent and considered 'Ali to be the fourth. However, some people preferred
'Ali. And some remained neutral. But the people of the Sunnah settled on
preferring 'Uthman, even though this matter - the matter of 'Uthman and 'Ali -
is not of the fundamentals. The majority of the people of the Sunnah do not
consider disagreeing in this matter as being misled. Rather, it is in the matter
of the "Question of the Caliphate" where they consider the disagreeing
person to be misled.
Ahl as-Sunnah believe that the Caliph after the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) is Abu Bakr; then 'Umar; then 'Uthman, then 'Ali,
and that whoever contests the Caliphate of any one of these Imams is indeed more
lost than an ass
Ahl as-Sunnah should not deal with what happened between
the Sahabah of the disagreement, and they must say: Part of the Traditions which
are narrated about their faults are untrue, and some of them added to or omitted
from, or distorted; The part of them which is true, they are excused from,
because either they expressed their personal opinion and were right, or they
expressed their personal opinion and were wrong.
Ahl as-Sunnah do not think that each of the Sahabah is
infallible of committing grave sins or light sins, but that they are liable to
commit general offenses. Nevertheless, to them belongs priority in accepting
Islam
and in doing good deeds which qualify them for
forgiveness of what they may have committed, to the extent that their offenses
are forgiven. The same offenses will not be forgiven of those who come after
them because they (as-Sahabah) have a credit of good deeds which erase the bad
deeds, a credit the generations after them do not have. It has been confirmed by
the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him):
"That they are the best of all generations,"
(al-Bukhari and Muslim) and: "That the pint of charity any one of them
might have given is better than a pile of gold the size of Mount 'Uhud if it is
given by anyone who comes after them." (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Moreover, if anyone of them (as-Sahabah) committed any
act of offense, without doubt he repented from it, or he did good deeds which
wiped that offense from him, or he has been forgiven for the virtue of accepting
Islam from its start or by intercession of Muhammad (peace be upon him) since
they are deserving most his intercession, or a calamity inflicted upon him in
this world which covered for that offense. But if this is the case in actual
offenses, what about matters in which they were mujtahids (formulating
independent decision in legal or theological matters)? If they were correct in
their ijtihad they will receive double reward and if they missed they will
receive one reward and the missing is forgiven for them.
Furthermore, the objectionable amount of their deeds is
negligible in comparison to their virtues, their merit is in belief in Allah and
His Messenger, the jihad in His Path, the Hijrah (emigration) from Makkah to
al-Madinah, the support for the Prophet and the faith, the valuable knowledge
and the good deeds. Whoever studies the life of the Sahabah objectively, with
insight and with what Allah bestowed upon them of virtues, will no doubt
discover that they are the best of all people after the Prophet (peace be upon
him), that there never was and never will be their like and that indeed they are
the choicest of the generations of the 'Ummah which is in itself the best of all
nations and the most honorable in the eyes of Allah ,The Exalted.
Ahl Al-Bait (The Prophets
Family)
Ahl as-Sunnah should love the Prophet's
family, give them support, and honor the Prophet's will in regard to them, as he
said at Ghadir al-Khum: "I ask you by Allah to take care of my family I ask
you by Allah to take care of my family." (Muslim)
[The Prophet] (peace be upon him) said to his uncle
al-Abbas when he complained to him that some men of Quraysh resent Banu Hashim
(the Prophet's clan):
"By (Allah) in Whose Hands my soul is! They will
never be believers until they love you for the sake of my relationship to
you." (Reported by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and others)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Indeed, Allah chose the sons of isma'il, and from
them He chose Kinanah, and from Kinanah He chose Quraish, and from Quraish he
chose Banu Hashim, and from Banu Hashim He chose me." (Reported by Muslim
and Ibn Hanbal)
'Ummahat Al-Mu'minin (The
Prophets Wives)
[Ahl as-Sunnah] should give
support to the wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), the Mothers
of the Believers, and they should believe that they will be his wives in the
Hereafter, especially Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) the mother of
most of his children, and the first person to believe in him and give him
support, and he respected her very highly.
And [A'ishah], as-Siddiqah, the daughter of [Abu Bakr]
as-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with her and her father), of whom the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said:
"A'ishah's superiority over women is like the
superiority of ath-Tharid (a dish of sopped bread, meat and broth) over the rest
of the food." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
[Ahl as-Sunnah] should forsake the Rawafid doctrine,
those who hate the Prophet's Companions and revile them.
They should forsake the Nawasib37 doctrine (those who
harm the Prophet's Family verbally or actually).
Karamat Al-Awliya' (The
Miracles of the Saints)
Among the fundamentals
of the people of the Sunnah and the Community is the belief in the miracles of
the saints (Karamat al- Awliya): Allah created supernatural acts through them in
all aspects of life, revelations (Mukashafat), power, and impressions. This is
known of ancient nations in Surat al-Kahf (chapter 18) and in other Qur'anic
chapters and is known of the early men of this 'Ummah amongst the Sahabah and
the Tabi'un and amongst the rest of the generations of this 'Ummah. It will be
with them to the Day of Resurrection.
* Some
traditionalists believe the victory (al-Fat-h) is the liberation of Makkah. (See
Tafsir Ibn Kathir, VIII, pp.37-39 in his commentary on verse 10 of Suratal-Hadid
57.)
**They are: Abu
Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, 'Ali, Talhah, Az-Zubair, Sa'd Ibn Abi Waqqas, Sa'idibn
Zayd, 'Abd ar-Rahman Ibn 'Awf and Abu 'Ubaidah Ibn al-Jarrah.
The Path of Ahl As-Sunnah Wal-Jama'ah
The path of the people of the Sunnah and the Jama'ah is
following the Prophet's Tradition both inwardly and outwardly, and following the
foot- steps of the early Muslims, both the Muhajirun (Emigrants) and the Ansar
(Helpers), and following the Prophet's recommendation:
"Hold on to my Sunnah and the Sunnah of the Rightly
Guided Caliphs after me. Hold on to it firmly. And beware of heretical
innovations (bida') because each heretical innovation (bid'ah) is a falsehood
and each false- hood is a deviation from the right path." (Reported by
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi who said it is a good and sound hadith,
and Ibn Majah)
The people of the Sunnah know that the most truthful
words are Allah's Words over the words of all people, and they put the guidance
of Muhammad (peace be upon him) ahead of the guidance of all people. Because of
all this they are called the People of the Book and the Sunnah. They are called
the People of the Community because community means unity and its opposite is
disunity. The term Jama'ah became a name for the unified people themselves and
al-Ijma' (consensus) is the third pillar on which people depend for 'ilm
(knowledge) and din (faith).
By these three pillars (Qur'an, Sunnah, and Ijma') is
measured all that people follow of inward or outward words and acts which have
any relation to din (faith) and to the controlled ijma' of the righteous
ancestors since after them the disagreement increased, and the 'Ummah
dispersed.
Brotherhood Among Muslims
By these fundamentals, then, they bid good deeds and
forbid objectionable deeds in accordance with what the Shari'ah ordains. And
they believe in practicing Hajj (pilgrimage) and Jihad (struggle for the cause
of Allah), in attending Friday communal prayers and the holidays with the
leaders, be they pious or wicked, and in observing the community prayers.They
believe in advising the 'Ummah, and they indoctrinate themselves with the
Prophet's saying:
"A believer is for a believer just as all the parts
of an edifice support each other." (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
The Prophet (peace be upon him) intermixed his fingers
while saying this.
And [they indoctrinate themselves with] the saying of
[the Prophet] (peace be upon him): "The example of the believers in their
affection and compassion and benevolence is like the body; If one part of it
becomes ill the whole body comes to its aid with fever and sleeplessness."
(Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim)
[Ahl as-Sunnah] bid people persevere when calamity
strikes, and are thankful in the time of life's ease, and are accepting in the
fulfillment of Allah's Irreversible Decree. They call on people to practice
noble manners and good deeds, and to indoctrinate themselves with the Prophet's
saying:
"A perfect faith belongs to a believer with good
manners." (Reported by Ibn Hanbal and at-Tirmidhi who said it is good and
sound hadith)
[Ahl as-Sunnah] urge people to mend the relations with
those who have broken with them, to give to those who have deprived them, and to
forgive those who have done injustice to them. They order people to keep filial
piety, to be good to other relatives, to be good neighbors, to treat orphans,
wayfarers and the poor kindly and to be gentle and humane to the slave. They
forbid bragging, arrogance and transgression. They prevent people from feeling
superior over others, rightly or wrongly. And they bid people use high manners
and prohibit them from pursuing trifles. All that they say or do of the above,
or of other than it, in all of it they follow the Book (The Qur'an) and the
Sunnah. Their "path" is the religion of Islam, for which Allah sent
Muhammad (peace be upon him).
But for all this, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
foretold:
"That his 'Ummah will split into seventy-three
factions, all of them in Hell except one: The Jama'ah (the Community)."
(Reported by Ahmad Ibn Hanbal)
And (the Prophet) (peace be upon him) said in another
hadith:
"They are those who will follow what I am and what
my companions are today." (at-Tirmidhi)
Those referred to in this saying, those who hold firmly
to pure, unadulterated Islam, became the people of the Sunnah and the Jama'ah.
Amongst them are the Siddiqs, the martyrs, the righteous, included in them are
the cairns of guidance, the lamps for darkness, the masters of memorable merits,
the ever-remembered virtues; Among them are the Abdal the Imams about whose
judgment and understanding all Muslims agree. These are the victorious ones
about whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"A group of my 'Ummah will continue to follow the
truth prominently. Whoever betrays them or opposes them can never harm them to
the Day of Judgment." (al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Thus, we ask Allah ,The Great "to make us part of
them, and not to let our hearts swerve after He has guided us and to bestow on
us Mercy from Him. Indeed, He is, The Generous. Allah knows best."
May Allah's many blessings and greetings be upon
Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
Footnotes
1. The scholars
differed in regard to the "Basmalah"; is it a verse (ayah) of each
chapter (Surah) it opens?, or is it a separate verse which was revealed to
separate between the chapters?, and to be blessed by starting the reading with
it; the second opinion is the preferable one. And they agreed that it is a part
of a verse in Surat an-Naml (27/30), and to abandon it at the beginning of Surat
Bara'ah or (at-Tawbah/9), because it is considered as one chapter with Surat
al-Anfal/8.
2. Al-Hamdu
Lil-Lahi (all the praise belongs to Allah): It was reported from the Prophet
(peace be upon him) that he said:
"Every talk
which does not open with praising Allah and asking mercy for me is incomplete
and has no blessing." (ar-Rahawi) The same thing was reported about the
Basmalah. (Ibn Hibban)
3. The Messenger
is a man who received a Revelation of Shari'ah (religion and law), and was
ordered by God to announce it, however, if he received a revelation and wasn't
ordered to announce it, then he is only a prophet and not a
messenger.
4. The
(Shahadah) of Allah, the Exalted, is implemented by His Word and His Action, and
His Support for His Messenger by victory, miracles, and various proofs that what
he brought forth is the Pure Truth.
5. La ilaha illa
Allah (There is no god but Allah) is the formula of Tawhid (Oneness) which all
Messengers (peace be upon them all) agreed upon, rather it is the essence of
their messages, and every Messenger made it the opening of his message and its
pillar, as our Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"I was
ordered to fight people until they say La ilaha illa Allah, and if they say it,
then they protect their blood and their property from me except for its dues,
and Allah, The Almighty, The Supreme, will judge them." (Al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
6. And making
the shahadah (testimony) for the Messenger (peace be upon him) of the Risalah
(Message) and the 'Ubudiyah (Servitude to Allah and worshiping Him) connected
with the Testimony of the Oneness of Allah, to indicate that both of them must
be mentioned together, and no one of them takes the place of the other, for this
they were connected in adhan (the call for prayers) and at-tashahhud (the
testimony). Some people interpreted the verse,
"And We
exalted your name." (al-Inshirah 94/4) as: "Whenever I am mentioned
you will be mentioned with Me."
And He combined
for him (the Prophet) the two tides, namely that of the Messenger-ship and the
Servitude, because they are the highest of which any human being could be
described. The Servitude or the worship is the reason for which Allah made the
creations, as He said:
"I created
the jinn and humankind only that they should worship Me." (adh-Dhariyat,
51/56)
So the
perfection of the creature is in accomplishing that goal, and the more the human
being increases his accomplishment of the servitude, the more he increases his
perfection and makes his status higher, for this Allah mentioned His Prophet
with the title 'Abd (slave, servant, worshipper) during his highest and noblest
situations like al-Isra' (the night journey from Makkah to al-Quds). Also, in
the sound hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
"Do not
praise me as the Christians praised The Son of Mary (Jesus), indeed, I am only a
human being, so, say; 'The 'Abd of Allah and His Messenger'."
7. The Saved
Group is the victorious one according to the saying of the Prophet (peace be
upon him):
"A band of
my 'Ummah shall stick to truth and will stay victorious, and will not be harmed
by whoever betrays them until the Day of Judgment" (Al-Bukhari and
Muslim)
And his
saying:
"This
'Ummah will be divided into 73 divisions, all of them will go to Hell except
one, which follows what I and my Companions are today."
(at-Tirmidhi)
8. The Sunnah
means the way which the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions lived and
behaved before the rise of the heretical innovations.
9. These six
articles are the pillars of the faith, and every true believer must accept all
of them according to the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, and whoever
rejects any article of them is not considered a true believer. Those pillars are
mentioned in the story of Gabriel when he came to the Prophet (peace be upon
him) as a bedouin to ask him about Islam and Iman (faith) and Ihsan (worshiping
Allah as if we see Him, since we do not see Him, He sees us): the Prophet said:
"To believe
in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, and to believe in the
Resurrection after death, and the Qadar (Divine Decree) whether it is good or
bad. The Books are the revealed ones from the heavens to the Messengers, of
which are known to us are: The Scrolls of Abraham (Suhuf Ibrahim), The Old
Testament (at-Tawrah), The New Qur'an Testament (al-Injil, the Zabur (the Psalms
of David), and the Qur'an, the Last Revelation. "
The Messengers:
only twenty-five of them are mentioned in the Qur'an, as for the rest, we should
believe in them without bothering ourselves in counting them, or knowing their
names, because this is what Allah kept for Himself as He said in the Qur'an
"Verily We
sent Messengers before you, among them those of whom We have told you, and some
of whom We have not told you." (Ghafir or al-Mu'min 40/78)
10. The negation
is two kinds: general and specific. The general is to remove from Allah all that
negates His Perfectness from defects and bad qualities, as He said: "There
is nothing like Him." and "Do you know any similar to Him?"
"Praise Allah of what they describe Him." The specific is to glorify
Allah from having a father, or son, or wife, or partner, or equal, or ignorance,
or weakness, or confusion, or forgetfulness, or slumber, or sleep, or falsehood
and playfulness. All these negations are not required for their own, but at the
same time to confirm their contrast, so, the negation of the partner and the
equal is to confirm His absolute greatness, and so on.
Affirmation is
also of two kinds: general and specific. The general is to affirm His Absolute
Perfectness, and the Absolute Praiseworthiness, and Absolute Glory, and so
forth, as Allah said:
"Praise be
to Allah, Lord of the Worlds" (al-Fatihah 1/1) and "Allah's is the
Sublime Similitude." (an -Nahl 16/60).
The specific
affirmation includes each name or attribute which has been mentioned in the
Qur'an and the Sunnah, and they are very numerous, which makes it very difficult
to enumerate here, but one can find them all over the Qur'an and the
Sunnah.
11. This Surah
(chapter) is given special status because it contains what no other chapters of
the Qur'an contain, therefore, it has been called al- Ikhlas (the purity of
faith) because it purified the faith from the blemish of paganism. Al-Imam Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal reported in his Musnad from 'Ubayy Ibn Ka'b (may Allah be pleased
with him), the reason for its revelation was that the non-believers said:
"Muhammad tell us the genealogy of your God, so, Allah, The Blessed, The
Exalted revealed: 'Say: He is Allah The One, Allah The Eternal..." It has
been confirmed in the Sahih (the Sound Book of Hadith) that it is equal to a
third of the Qur'an, but the scholars disputed over the interpretation of this
saying, the most acceptable interpretation is what Sheikh al-Islam (i.e.,Ibn
Taimiyah) narrated from Abu al- 'Abbas which is summed up as follows: The Qur'an
contains three basic objectives:
A. The ordinance
which include the rules and the practical regulations which are the subject of
Fiqh and Morality.
B. The stories
and the accounts which contain the situation of the Messengers (peace be upon
them all) with their nations, and the kinds of punishments which are inflicted
on the non-believers; and the reward and the threat, and the details of the
reward and the punishment in the Hereafter.
C. The Tawhid
(the Oneness of God), and what people should know of Allah and His Names and
Attributes, and this is considered the noblest of the three kinds.
Since Surat
al-Ikhlas contained the essence of this kind of knowledge, generally speaking,
it is proper to say it is equal to a third of the Qur'an. The same could be said
about Ayat al-Kursi in which Allah informed us about Himself, that He is the One
in His Lordship, which means no other deity should be worshiped beside
Him.
12. These four
names deal with encompassment; His Name "The First" indicates His
infinitely pre-existence and eternity; and His Name "The Last"
indicates His immortality and everlastingness; and His Name "The
Outward" indicates His highness and greatness by the fact that He
encompasses everything; and His Name "The Inward" indicates His
closeness and being with and within everything.
13. Istawa 'ala
al-Arsh (He Established Himself on, or arose over The Throne). This issue must be
accepted as al-Imam Malik said:
"The
ascending is known, but "how" is unknown. "In other words, one
must accept the fact that Allah arose over the Throne without questioning how.
Because it is better for a Muslim to spend his or her time thinking about
improving the Muslims' and all humanity's situation than to waste the time in
debating issues without answers. There are certain issues of the faith only
Allah, The Exalted, knows their answers, so let us leave these issues to
Him".
14. These verses
indicate Allah's Highness over His creatures, therefore everything should be
raised up to Him.
15. From these
verses we learn that Allah is with us all the time, watching over our deeds and
hearing our thoughts. If we remember this fact all the time, we will be better
human beings, and we will be careful about our acts and behavior.
16. The Sunnah
is the second source which Muslims must turn to in all their daily affairs after
the Qur'an. Allah, The Exalted, confirmed that in the Qur'an as He
said:
"Allah
revealed unto you (Muhammad) the Scripture and Wisdom, and taught you that which
you knew not." (an-Nissa' 4/113)
The Wisdom here
referred to, means the Sunnah.
And He
said:
"Our Lord!
And raise up in their (the Arabs) midst a messenger from among them who shall
recite unto them Your Revelations, and shall instruct them in the Scripture and
in Wisdom..." (al-Baqarah 2/129)
And He said
instructing the wives of His Prophet:
"And learn
that which is recited in your houses of the Revelations of Allah and
Wisdom." (al-Ahzab 33/34).
And Allah, The
Praiseworthy said:
"And
whatsoever the Messenger allows you to do, do it. And whatsoever he forbids,
abstain (from it.)" (al-Hashr 59/7).
The Messenger
(peace be upon him) said:
"I was
given the Qur'an and its equal in addition to it." (Abu Dawud)
From all this
one can learn that the rule of the Sunnah is almost equal to the rule of the
Qur'an in affirming the faith and the practices of Islam, indeed the Sunnah is a
clarification to the Qur'an and an explanation of its general concepts, as
Allah, The Exalted said:
"And We
have revealed unto you the Remembrance (adh- Dhikr) that you may explain to
mankind that which has been revealed for them." (an-Nahl 16/44)
Remembering
all this no one is allowed to reject the sound Sunnah on the pretext that it is
not authentic, or we accept only what is mentioned in the Qur'an. If this claim
is true, then those people should not pray because the acts and the performance
of prayers are not mentioned in the Qur'an, the same is true about the rites of
pilgrimage, ablution, and many daily performances which are mentioned in the
Qur'an in general terms only. Moreover, we should not exaggerate in allegorical
interpretations of the Sunnah, and try to philosophize it, because the Prophet
(peace be upon him) did not intend that, rather he spoke in clear simple terms
in order for people to be able to understand him, and be right in practicing
their faith. It is true that some hooks of Sunnah and Hadith contain fabricated
stories and sayings but this should not obstruct us from seeing The Truth and
finding it in the many collections which do contain sound and authentic hadiths
and stories, because the scholars of Sunnah and Hadith, such as al-Bukhari,
Muslim, Ibn Majah, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nassa'i and many others cleared the matter
for us hundreds of years ago, may Allah reward them the best of rewards in the
Hereafter.
17. With respect to the Attributes of Allaah, then the Salaf affirmed them upon their apparent meanings, while relegating the knowledge of their exact nature to Allaah, in opposition to the Mufawwidah and the Mu'attilah - the both of whom deny the meanings of the Attributes, with the former relegating the knowledge of their meanings to Allaah and the latter distorting and interpolating the meanings to other meanings not reported from the Salaf, such as their interpolation of Istiwaa to Isteelaa and their interpretation of hands (yadaan) to mean power and so on. [SP Note]
18. The
meaning of this hadith is that a believer goes to war with unbelievers, and a
non-believer kills the believer Muslim so he enters Paradise because of him
losing his life for the sake of Allah, however, after that the non-believer
accepts Islam and becomes a believer then dies as a true believer, and he in
turn enters Paradise, so the killer and the killed enter Paradise. This
indicates to us the Mercy, Favor and Generosity of Allah to His
creatures.
19. The Jahmis
are the followers of Jahm Ibn Safwan Abu Muhriz, a (mawla) client of Banu Rasib,
called at-Tirmidhi by some and as-Samarqandi by others, a Muslim theologian, who
attached himself to al-Harith Ibn Suraij, the "man with the black
banner", during the rising in Khurasan towards the end of the 'Umayyad
period and was therefore put to death in 128 H./745-6 C.E. by Salm Ibn Ahwaz. As
a theologian he occupies an independent position in as much as he agreed with
the Murji'ah on the one hand in teaching that belief is an affair of the heart,
and with the Mu'tazilah in denying the anthropomorphic attributes of God, but on
the other hand he was one of the strongest defenders of Jabr. He only allowed
that Allah is All-Powerful and the Creator because these are the things which
can not be predicated of any created being. He further denied the eternity of
Paradise and Hell. His followers called jahmiyah after him, survived down to the
fifth century of the Hijrah/eleventh century C.E., around Tirmidh but then
adopted the doctrines of the Ash'aris.
20. Qadariyah
(Qadaris) is a Muslim sect which believes that man produced his own actions,
which meant that they make man (khaliq al-af'al) creator of actions, thus giving
Allah a partner in creating.
21. Jabriyah
is the name given to those who, in opposition to the Qadariyah, deny the freedom
of the will, and on this point make no distinction between man and inanimate
nature, in as much as his actions are subordinate to the compulsion (jabr) of
God. The most prominent champion of this view is Jahm Ibn Safwan and many other
small sects.
22. Murji'ah
is the name of one of the early sects of Islam, the extreme opponents of the
Khawarij. The latter thought that a Muslim by committing a mortal sin becomes
kafir. The Murji'ah, on the other hand, were of the opinion that a Muslim does
not lose his faith through sin. This doctrine led them to a far-reaching
quietism in politics; according to their doctrine, the Imam who was guilty of
mortal sins did not cease to be a Muslim and must be obeyed. The Salah (prayers)
performed behind him was valid.
23.
Al-Wa'idiyah believe that Allah logically must punish the disobedient as He must
reward the obedient, therefore, according to them, if a person committed a major
sin and died before repenting, Allah must not forgive him. This doctrine
conflicts with the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
24.
Al-Haruriyah is a branch of the Khawarij, the earliest of the religious sects of
Islam, whose importance lies particularly, from the point of view of the
development of dogma, in the formulation of questions relative to the theory of
the Caliphate and to justifications by faith or by work.
The Origin Of
the Khawarij Movement:
The occasion
for the schism was given by the proposal presented to 'Ali by Mu'awiyah during
the battle of Siffin (Safar, 37 H./July, 657 C.E.) to settle the differences by
referring it to two arbitrators who would pronounce judgment according to the
Qur'an, while the majority of 'Ali's army readily adopted this proposal, one
group of warriors, mainly of the tribe of Tamim, vigorously protested against
the setting up of a human tribunal above the Divine Word. Loudly protesting that
judgment belongs to Allah alone" (La hukma illa lil-Lahi), they left the
army, and withdrawing to the village of Harura', not far from Kufah, they
elected as their chief an obscure soldier 'AbdAllah Ibn Wahb ar-Rasibi. These
first dissenters took the name al-Haruriyah or al-Muhakkimah.
25.
Al-Mu'tazilah is the name of the great theological school which created the
speculative dogmation of Islam. The Mu'tazilis are those who profess the
doctrine of i'tizal, i.e., the doctrine of (al-manzilah baina al-manzilatain),
or the state intermediate between belief and unbelief, the fundamental doctrine
of the school. The name "Mu'tazilah" is derived from a schism which
took place in the circle of al-Hasan al-Basfi: after laying down their doctrine
of (al-manzilah baina al-manzilatain), Wasil Ibn 'Ata' and 'Amr Ibn 'Ubaid are
said to have separated (i'tazala) from al-Hasan's circle to found an independent
school. Some modern scholars believe that the Mu'tazilah had a political origin
started at the time of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib, when a group of Muslims stayed
neutral in the fight between 'Ali on the one side and Talhah, az-Zubair and
'A'ishah on the other, as the third (neutral) group was described in the
historical chronicles as: (i'taaalu) moved away from the fighting.
Part of their
theological doctrine was that the Qur'an was created. This belief caused a lot
of debate and argument among the Muslim theologians in the medieval times and
the main proponents of this doctrine was the Abbasid caliph al-Ma'mun and his
brother al-Mu'tasim, and its main opponent was the famous Muslim jurist Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal.
26. Rawafid or
Rafidah is one of the names given to the Shi'ah. Al-Ash'ari explains this
denomination as those who rejected the caliphate of Aba Bakr and
'Umar:
27.
al-Khawarij-See al-Haruriyah.
28. Allah's
Books are: The Books which He revealed, namely; The Old Testament (at-Tawrah),
The New Testament (al-Injil) and the Qur'an.
29. Here Ibn
Taimiyah is responding to the Mu'tazilah who claimed that the Qur'an is
created.
30. According
to the Muslim faith, when a dead person is buried in his or her grave two
angels, one called Munkar and the other called Nakir; examine and if necessary
punish him or her in the tomb. To the examination in the tomb the infidels and
the faithful, the righteous as well as the sinners are liable. They are set
upright in their tombs and must answer certain questions. The righteous faithful
will answer them properly, thereupon they will be left alone until the Day of
Resurrection. The sinners and the infidels, on the other hand will not have
satisfactory answers at hand. Consequently, the angels will beat them
severely.
31.
Uncircumcised means that people will be resurrected as they were created the
first time, as Allah, The Exalted said:
"Now have
you come unto Us solitary as We did create you at the first..." (al-An'am
6/94)
32. The
believers and the righteous will receive their record of deeds in their right
hand, but the infidels and the sinners will receive their records in their left
hand or behind their backs.
33. Here means
the murderer.
34. If the
heir of the murdered person forgives the murderer by not executing him for
committing the murder, rather he accepts the blood- money, in this case Allah
recommended that the forgiving person should continue to be magnanimous and not
to ask the blood-money in harsh and rough terms, and to wait if the murderer
cannot afford it right away. At the same time, Allah commands the murderer to
pay the blood-money without reducing the requested amount and without very much
delay.
35-36. In the
year 628 C.E., the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) led a band of believers
to perform 'umrah (smaller pilgrimage) to Makkah, but the non-believers of
Makkah prevented him and his followers from entering Makkah by blocking their
way with a large army at a place called al-Hudaibiyah located nine miles out of
Makkah. As a result, a war almost broke out between the two parties, but
negotiations took place instead. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent 'Uthman
(may Allah be pleased with him) to Makkah to represent him at the negotiations,
but he did not return for three days and rumors reached the Prophet and his
followers that 'Uthman was killed by the Makkans. Although unprepared for
battle, the Prophet could not leave the Makkans unpunished for their treacherous
act. So, he assembled his followers and, standing under a large tree, they
pledged allegiance to him to fight the Makkans. Therefore, Allah praised them in
the Qur'an:
"Lo!
Those who swear allegiance unto you (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto
Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands..."(al-Fat-h 48/10)
In the same
chapter, verse 18, Allah expressed His pleasure with the believers who pledged
allegiance to the Prophet (peace be upon him) under the tree in Hudaibiyah, He
said
: "Allah
was well pleased with the believers when they swore allegiance unto you beneath
the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, and He sent down peace of
reassurance on them, and has rewarded them with a near victory."
37. Nawasib is
a group of people who do not like 'Ali or his family; they are the counterpart
of the Rawafid.
Wa-ahhira
da'wana: "Al-Hamdu lil-Lahi Rabbi al-'Alamin, was-salatu was- salamu 'ala
ashrafl al-mursalin, Sayyidina Muhammad, wa-'ala alihi wa-sahbihi ajma'in wa-man
walahum ila yawmi ad-din. Allahumma ighfir li wa-li- walidayya, wa-arhamhuma
ha-ma rabbayani saghiran."